Thomas Drake Biography

Fast Facts

• Was awarded the Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling for his whistleblowing efforts
• Served in the U․S․ Air Force for ten years as an Airborne Voice Processing Specialist and went on several electronic intelligence missions
• Quote: "I'm a target․ I've got a bull's-eye on my back․ I did not tell secrets․ I am facing prison for having raised an alarm, period․ I went to a reporter with a few key things: fraud, waste, and abuse․"
• Best known as a former senior executive for the U․S․ National Security Agency who later became a whistleblower
• Reported his concerns about the Trailblazer data collection project through official channels and received support from the Department of Defense Inspectors General
• Worked as a CIA analyst and NSA contractor for 12 years before joining the NSA full-time in 2001
• After being forced out of his job at the NSA, he began working at a local Apple store
• Was charged with ten felony counts by the Department of Justice, five of which were under the Espionage Act, all of which were later dropped in 2011
• After the NSA remained unresponsive to his concerns about security and government waste, he began supplying unclassified information to the Baltimore Sun